Numbers continue to trend downward for new cases and deaths, but officials seek to increase vaccination figures to help avoid future spread of COVID

Employers who are hoping to ensure their workers remain healthy and on the job have an opportunity to receive free COVID-19 vaccinations from the Polk County Health Department.

The availability of COVID-19 vaccine being distributed at local businesses through programs via Floyd Medical Center and Redmond Regional Medical Center as partners has been part of the overall efforts to increase the number of shots going into arms and thus the overall immunity in the community.

However, the county’s vaccination rate remains well below the 36% of Georgians who are fully vaccinated (42% of state residents have now received at least one dose.)

Polk County residents are 10% behind the state in full vaccination – 26% overall at 10,742 people, and only 29% received a first dose of the vaccine – with 22,728 doses administered at this point. Neighboring counties are following the same pattern, though in most cases with higher numbers due to the variable of overall population for each county.

For instance, Haralson’s 23% of people account for just over 6,800 residents who have received either a single Johnson and Johnson dose, or both doses of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines. Compare that to Paulding County’s 26%, which accounts for more than 41,000 residents who are fully vaccinated by comparison.

Floyd sat at 30% (more than 29,000,) and Bartow at 26% (more than 27,000,) based on the most recent figures available from the Department of Health’s vaccine dashboard.

COVID-19 vaccination is needed more than ever, with more than 33.3 million cases reported since the pandemic began across the country, and per the latest CDC numbers 597,000+ deaths have been reported since March 2020.

Statewide, the totals add up to nearly 900,000 people who have contracted the virus, and more than 18,000 deaths since tracking began last year. That also includes more than 64,000 people hospitalized, and of that figure more than 10,000 people have needed intensive care treatment for the virus.

Locally, the virus has sickened more than 5,000 people (cases found in both PCR and antigen cases combined) and been responsible for the deaths of 84 people. 380 people have been hospitalized for the virus in Polk as well.

National, state and local numbers during the winter months spiked during the last major wave of the virus across the country, but have overall since late January trended downward.

That’s due in part to the vaccine doing its job and keeping people most vulnerable to the virus from getting sick, and from adults causing its further spread by getting shots.

Now that vaccine is being made available to businesses locally via the health department alongside programs run by the two largest area medical centers in Redmond and Floyd, the hopes are the trend remains downward.

Those interested in participating in this latest vaccination distribution effort for their business can contact Health Department Nurse Manager Malindy Ely at 770-646-5541, or by email at malindy.ely@dph.ga.gov to sign up and learn more information.

Health department officials will come to places of business to provide COVID immunization to all who want them.